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J. S. PORTER. FREIGHT GAR DOOR.

PatentedJune 25, 1889.v

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. FREIGHT GAR DOOR.

No. 405,848. PatentedJune 25, 1889.

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a L v 10 L d 7//////////I/ \AA/ZITNESS'ES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH b. PORTER, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO FRANK G. SCOFIELD AND JOHN L. MOORE, OF SAME PLACE.

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 405,848, dated June 25, 1889.

Application filed December 10, 1888. Serial No. 293,114. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEPH S. PORTER, of Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Car Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to doors for grain-cars. Grain is loaded in bulk in cars, and is confined at the door-spaces of the car by sliding doors, against which the pressure of the mass of grain is exerted. To unload the car it is necessary to slide the doors upwardly. The outward pressure of the grain upon the door causes the latter to bind upon the side of the car, and makes the operation of opening the door quite difiicult and injurious to the door on account of the force re quired to move it, the entire door having to be forced upwardly a foot or more to make a sufficient opening for the initial discharge of the grain. After the pressure on the door has been reduced by the said initial discharge the further opening of the door maybe easily accomplished.

My invention has for its object to prevent injury to doors of grain-cars in effecting the initial opening thereof, and to enable the initial opening to be more quickly and easily accomplished than heretofore.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a grain-car having my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a section on line as m, Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both the figures.

In the drawings, arepresents a sliding door of a grain-car, the same being of the usual or any suitable size, and arranged to be seated 011 the inner surface of the car around the side opening or door thereof and to slide up and down to open and close said opening in the usual manner. I have here shown the door composed of a lower section 2 and an upper section 3, both of said sections being adapted to slide on guide-rods 4 4, which are hinged or jointed at 5 5 to the upper portion of the side of the car above the doorway. The

section 2 has fixed sockets or eyes 7 7, fitted to slide on said guide-rods, and the section 3 has pivoted loops or eyes 8 8, which embrace and are adapted to slide on said rods. The loops 8 8 permit the upper section 3 to be separated from the guide-rods, so that the lower section 2 can be moved up on said rods between the rods and the section 3, after which both sections can be swung upwardly with the guide-rods and secured to the roof of the car by hooks 9 9.

The construction thus far described forms no part of my present invention, and my improvements hereinafter described are not confined to the door thus constructed.

In carrying out my invention I make an opening in the lower portion of the door and fit a smaller door I) in said opening, said smaller door being connected at its upper edge with the main door by hinges c c, the members 2 3 of said hinges being attached, respectively, to the main and auxiliary doors, one member having a slot, which enables it to move vertically independently of the other member. IVhen the smaller or auxiliary door is in place, its lower edge bears against a shoulder d, which projects upwardly from the floor of the car outside of the door I), and prevents the latter from swinging outwardly, said shoulder being preferably one edge of a plate of metal attached to the floor. Aspace e is left between the upper edge of the auxiliary door and the corresponding edge of the opening in the main door, said space being of sufficient width to permit the auxiliary door to be moved upwardly far enough to clear the shoulder d and swing out over the same, the hinges being constructed to permit said upward movement. It will be seen that when the auxiliary door is in place the pressure of the grain will hold its lower edge against the shoulder d,thelatter preventingthe auxiliary door from swinging outwardly. It will also be seen that a slight upward movement of the auxiliary door will free its lower edge from the shoulder d, whereupon the pressure of the grain will force the door outwardly. A sufificient opening is thus formed to effect the initial unloading of the car and permit the full opening of the door a without difficulty. The sliding movement of the auxiliary door while it is subjected to the pressure of the grain is not necessarily more than a fraction of an inch, this movement, with the subsequent outward swinging movement of the auxiliary door, producing a discharge-openin g which, if the door were of the ordinary solid construction, would require a sliding movement of several inches against the internal pressure of the grain, and a proportional increase of wear and damage to the door over that involved in effecting the initial opening of my improved door. A great saving in wear and tear of doors, and in the time and labor required to open them, is thus effected. The grain is prevented from escaping through the space between the upper edge of the auxiliary door and the lower edge of the opening in the main door by a cleat or rabbet 1', attached to the inner side of the main door and extending across said space.

I claim- 1. A car-door having an opening in its lower portion and an outwardly-swinging auxiliary door hinged thereto, said auxiliary door having an independent vertical movement, as set forth.

2. A car-door having an opening in its lower portion and an outwardly-swinging auxiliary doorhinged thereto, said auxiliary door having an independent vertical movement, combined with a fixed stop for the lower edge of the auxiliary door, as set forth.

3. A car-door having an openingin its lower portion, an auxiliary door hinged, as described, thereto and fitted in said opening, but made narrower than the height thereof, whereby, when the auxiliary door is in place, a space is formed between its upper edge and the up- 

